Finding prices too high, Astros balk at major deadline deal

Minor moves see Feldman traded to Jays, Fields sent to Dodgers

HOUSTON, TX - JUNE 18: Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow answers questions during a press conference to introduce right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers, who was selected in the compensation first round (41st overall) of the 2012 MLB First Year Player Draft at Minute Maid Park on June 18, 2012 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

HOUSTON, TX - JUNE 18: Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow...

A flurry of moves around baseball on Monday preceded the non-waiver trade deadline. But while the team they chase infused three significant pieces onto a first-place roster, the Astros stood pat, diminishing their chances for an American League West title this season to potentially prolong their window of opportunity down the road.

"Almost every player that got moved, we were involved in the discussions in one way, shape or form over the last couple weeks," general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "We just made the decision that the cost for us relative to what we would be gaining was too high at this point in time."

Thus, here the Astros sit, their strong farm system intact but their major league team 51/2 games behind the Texas Rangers in the division race and 21/2 games out of a wild-card spot.

Luhnow and his top lieutenants huddled in the GM's Union Station office through Monday's 3 p.m. deadline but left the room with only two minor roster-clearing moves.

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Righthander Scott Feldman, relegated since late April to an $8 million long reliever, was traded to the visiting Toronto Blue Jays for 18-year-old rookie-ball righthander Lupe Chavez. Righthanded reliever Josh Fields, mired in Class AAA, was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 19-year-old Cuban first baseman/outfielder Yordan Alvarez.

Meanwhile, up north in Arlington, the Rangers parted with three of their best prospects to acquire the best catcher on the market in All-Star Jonathan Lucroy from the Milwaukee Brewers, another late-inning relief option in his teammate, righthander Jeremy Jeffress, and veteran outfielder/designated hitter Carlos Beltran from the New York Yankees.

The wild-card race didn't get any easier for the Astros on Monday, either. Although the Detroit Tigers also stood pat, the Blue Jays added starter Francisco Liriano from the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Boston Red Sox dealt for lefthanded reliever Fernando Abad from the Minnesota Twins after making several moves earlier in the summer.

"They all had to go through the same decision-making that we did," Luhnow said. "Texas took three of their top five prospects out of their system to improve today, and that's a decision they made for their benefit. We are not prepared to do that for our organization at this point.

"I feel like we've got a young team that's going to be here for a while. We don't have any windows closing. We're just getting into our window, if you want to call it that, and we want to keep it open for as long as possible and have as many shots to go to the playoffs as possible."

The Astros, as Luhnow mentioned early in his briefing with reporters, came into the week with the best record in the majors since May 23. A resurgent two months does not, however, mean their roster does not feature holes, some of which were just exposed in a 1-5 week against the Yankees and Tigers.

While costly in prospects, the trade market consisted of several controllable pitchers who would have been an upgrade over No. 5 starter Mike Fiers this year and beyond. According to industry sources, the Astros discussed deals with the Tampa Bay Rays for starting pitchers Matt Moore, Jake Odorizzi and Chris Archer but weren't willing to meet the farm system-crippling asking prices dictated by the market.

Offensively, the Astros entered Monday ranked 30th in OPS at the center-field position (.612), 28th in OPS at first base (.703) and last in the AL in OPS from designated hitters (.619). They were linked on Sunday to Beltran, their 2004 postseason hero, and also, according to sources, surveyed the catching market for backstops with multiple years of control.

But ultimately, their biggest in-season additions will be that of top prospect Alex Bregman and incoming Cuban infielder Yulieski Gurriel. A year after making two deadline deals that didn't pan out after the Astros parted ways with six young players for Scott Kazmir, Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers, Luhnow admitted last year's July affected his approach to this year's.

"You never know how things are going to play out," he said. "People always celebrate these moves on trade deadline day. The cost of these moves is felt next year, the year after, and they're not always tied back to the moves that you made. We're sort of keeping all of that in mind."